Large egg production facilities typically make use of caged hens and/or free-range hens located in large structures. Collection of the eggs from within these facilities typically involve the use of numerous collection conveyors. These conveyors are typically revolving conveyors upon which the laid eggs are transported to one particular location within the facility. The eggs are then transferred from the various tiers and rows of nests or cage lines to a single level and deposited either on to a manual collection table or onto a belt conveyor from which the eggs are then transported to centralized sorting equipment and associated packaging machines.
These facilities also typically employ the use of vertical elevators so that the eggs may be collected from numerous tiers of individual collection conveyors. The collisions between eggs must be prevented during this transference from the collection conveyor to the elevator. As a result, a separation wheel, or allocation wheel, is provided within a transition area between the conveyors and the elevator.
Each separation wheel typically consists of a rotary driven wheel body that includes an outer edge having a recessed pick-up bag or other suitable indention that contains an egg during the transfer of the egg from an associated conveyor to the elevator. The separation wheels rotate at a predetermined velocity that is closely synchronized to the feed speed of each associated collection conveyor and the speed of the elevator. The rotation of each separation wheel is adjusted such that the eggs are supplied to the elevator according to a fixed formula.
The critical timing of the operation of the system is guaranteed only if a material which maintains its shape is used for the separation wheels. Such materials, however, are inevitably rigid, thereby resulting in damage to the eggs during impact against the outer edge of the associated separation wheel. Typically, the scrap rates associated with these devices are relatively high.
Therefore, there is a need for a transference device that reduces the damage to the eggs during the collection thereof.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a device for the transfer of objects that are sensitive to impact, such as eggs, that includes a horizontally-feeding collection conveyor, a vertically feeding elevator, and at least one separation wheel located in a transition area between the horizontally-feeding collection conveyor and the vertically feeding elevator. The separation wheel includes an outer edge having a recessed portion adapted to cradle an egg therein, wherein at least the recessed portion of the outer edge is elastically deformable, and is thereby adapted to cushion an impact of the egg with the recessed portion of the outer edge.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a method of transferring objects that are sensitive to impact, such as eggs, that includes collecting a plurality of eggs via a horizontally feeding conveyor, transferring the plurality of eggs from the conveyor to a separation wheel, wherein the wheel includes an outer edge having a recessed portion adapted to cradle an egg therein, cushioning an impact between the eggs and the wheel via an elastically deformable surface located within the recessed portion of the wheel, and transferring the eggs from the separation wheel to a vertically-feeding elevator.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a separation wheel for transferring objects that are sensitive to impact, such as eggs, between a horizontally-feeding collection conveyor and a vertically-feeding elevator, the separation wheel including a rigid inner portion, and an outer portion having a recessed portion adapted to cradle an egg therein, wherein at least the recessed portion of the outer edge is elastically deformable, and is thereby adapted to cushion the impact of the egg with the recessed portion of the outer edge.
The present inventive device and associated method for its use provide a durable, antiseptic, efficient to use, economical to manufacture transference device for objects that are sensitive to impact, such as eggs. The present invention and related method further are capable of a long operating life, and are particularly well adapted for the proposed use.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings.